The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-11-11

of his residence in Sandtown. Hap
pening to catch the mercurial public
fancy new lighted. il fasteue itself As
immovably to Squire Leathcrwood as
the big round head that sat upon his
shoulders without; visible Intervention
of neck. There it remained with all
THE unreckoning of time that BELTS the
unal;erabie legend. and Bogus Leath-
~erwood' he was; and Bogus Leather
wood he will be 20 the end of time.
come the more readily to this con-
-ciusion because Sandtown itself was
an illustration that some appellative
genius WAS abroad in those days, and
frequentcd that partic ular locality.
Originally this village had been called
New Philadelphia. But with that keen
perception OF the inapt and the lu-
d;crous. even in the abstract matter
of names. the people of the surround
ing country had rechri>tened the vii
lage, and the formal cognomen of New
Philadelphia SINK at once beneath n
very noun tain of customary usage in
TIC tit.c o. ,siiiuloNH.
Sandtown itself was not an imposing
city to look upon. The largest build
ing by far was combination struct-
ure. presenting a broad front of !iewed
logs two stories high, and having the
invar;able open entry-a sort of min
iature court of the ancieat log castle.
This froGted the square of about
two acres. in the middle of which was
the courthouse. a very small. square.
tiingy, rusty "brick." and the only
brick house then in Sandtown. Avery
imposing structure in or eyes. Buck
Leatherwood,-and in those primitive
DAYS. too.
But the Leatherwood house had =
long ell running to the north and
made of oak frame. and rough wealth
-er-boarjinc never even remotely de-
signed to receive paint-that an-per-
vading innovation of this day.
1; was before the "a Leatherwood
House. rs the scanty travelling public
and the itinerant court of that time
knew the p,ace-and before "Bogusses
Tavern" or simply ..BogusseS." as the
community knew if-tnat an unnsu-
ally fine team Of bright bays came to a
very willing halt ut the very minute
that Bogus himself appeared at the
door with the dinner-beH. grasped in
his brawny rigll, hand and swinging
in long arcs By his side. sending out
through the short lanes of sandtown
merry triads of musical invitation to
the perpetually hungry-the mob OF
unhesita;ing .pPc.ites of the new eoun-
try.
There was CLEAN of appreciation in
Bogus bright black eyes rs they
fastened themselves upon the two mag
rlificent animals as they set their slen-
der fore-legs little forward and
leaned their finely tapering heads over
each Others necks in alternate reSttCl-
ness. But he did not, therefore. abate
-one iot or title of the tri-daiiy bell
ringing. That went on until the last
evening triad had sounded up and
down the weedy lanes and down among
the gold-twig willows that drew theii
-curving parallels On either side OF the
bright, clear river.
1t was bar of these musical triads
that had drawn myself and Buck
Leatherwood. my inseparable compan-
ion. out from q covert Of goid-twis
willows and along q winding. pig
Ps.i' among the gigantic jimsons,
and so into the '.main street" in front
of Bogusses at the very instant that q
slender. tall man began backing down
9ut Of the teP-bug2. s<-...